Oil well pumping equipment



April 14, 1953 w. H. DYE

OIL WELL PUMPING EQUIPMENT Filed July 27, 1950 FIG. 1.

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M m L W 3 w ER a ,0 M 4 4 l ILIG- F w W m m r 2 P )/l m Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in oil well pumping equipment and, more particularly, to a time controlled power unit for driving an oil well ump.

At the present time, in conventionally arranged oil well gathering systems, pumping rigs are usually located at each well head and by draw-rods running to all parts of the field and connected mechanically to a central power station, as in the case of the older installation, many. of which are still in use, or by individual internal combustion engines or electric motors located at each pumping unit. The internal combustion engine systems are comparatively inflexible in that the pumps cannot be shut down and started up readily without manual control.

It is also one of the principal objects of the the present invention to provide a power unit for driving well-pumps which is compact, economical in construction, and capable of very flexible operation to meet varying operating demands.

It is also one of the principle objects of the present invention to provide a power unit of the type stated which is time controlled so that it may start up and shut down at predetermined times automatically and thus operate unattended for prolonged periods of time.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a well-pumping unit constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the wellpumping unit;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the well-pumping unit; and

Figure 4 is a schematic wiring diagram showing the electrical circuits forming a part of the present invention.

Broadly speaking the present invention comprises an internal combustion engine having antomatic starting and stopping means so as to provide a power unit particularly adapted for use in the operation of oil well pumping units. Here the power unit is in service for only a portion of the day, commonly termed part-time, or intermittent operation, that is to say operation which may cover any number of periods throughout the day that require the starting and stopping of the .il l grnal combustion engine,

Further, my invention includes a feature, par-- ticularly for operation of internal combustion engines in service on reversible load conditions, that will permit constant speed operation rather than cyclic fluctuations as encountered in oilfield well pumping operations, which fluctuations are detrimental to long engine life, cause frequent repair and high maintenance expense. Also, my invention while simulating that of electric motor operation in the features of automatic starting, stopping and constant speed operation, has the long sought advanatage of variable speed range, within the operating limit of the engine, without changing the transmission, pulley or sheave, ratio. This is a very important factor particularly in the oil-well pumping field of operations, since varying well conditions require different pumping cycles throughout the well life.

While particularly adapted to intermittent internal combustion engine service in the oil fields, the simplicity of my invention makes it adaptable to any industry wherein automatic starting and stopping of internal combustion engines is desired.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a conventional platform constructed 'of wood or steel and adapted for installation at the well head. Suitably bolted upon the platform A is a conventional internal combustion engine 1 operatively connected through a starter coupling 2 preferably of the so-called Bendix type to an electrical starter motor 3. Mounted in any convenient location on the side of the engine 5 is an electrical timer switch 4 and a magneto 5. Also mounted on the platform A is a storage battery b which may be of either six volt or twelve volt type depending upon the voltage for which the starter motor-3 is wired. It will, of course, be apparent that the timer switch should correspondingly operate on six volt or twelve volt direct current, as the case may be.

The drive shaft 6, projecting from the forward end of the gasoline" engine I, extends rotatably through a quill shaft I and into a so-called fluid coupl ng unit or hydraulic drive 8, being rigidly attached to one of the impeller elements 9 thereof. The quill shaft 1 is similarly attached to the other impeller element ll of the hydraulic drive 8 and extends rearwardly therefrom. Rigidly mounted on the rearward end of the quill shaft 1 is a sheave for connection by conventional v-belts 1 l l to the driven fly wheel type pulley l2 of a consince the drive shaft 'ing a spring wound clock type may be combustion engine, a pump, operatively interposed between and the pump, a fly wheel type to the starter motor 3 will be closed at the do,

sired time to, in effect, crank the engine I At the same time, the magneto-circuit will be closed;

so that the engine I will start operation and the magneto-circuit is, of course, maintained closed for the period of time during which the. engine i is to remain in operation. Since it is. the. inherent nature of the hydraulic drive or fluid coupling 8 to provide for 100% slippage at idling engine speed, the engine I' maybe cranked without any load other than normal compression and no load other than normal compression Will be im--* posed upon the electrical starter motor 3. When the engine I has started, the hydraulic drive or fluid coupling 8- very quickly attains engine speed and therefore transmits practically full engine torque, at such speed. When the time for shutdown arrives, the timer 4 interrupts the magnetocircuit and the engine I shuts down. Again, 6 is connected to the load through the hydraulic drive 8, the pump will coast to a stop, so to speak, thereby avoiding any abrupt stoppage which might cause damage.

If desired, a mechanical timer preferably havmovement. of the seven. day employed and Will function same manner as the timer described. It may also be substantially in the switch 4 previously stated that a conventional type of automatic choke (not shown) may, if desired, be employed in connection with the internal combustion engine I thereby facilitating the starting or cranking operation.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the oil well pumping equipment may be made and substituted for those shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A power unit for well-pumps and the like, said unit comprising, in combination, a gasoline engine, a pump, a hydraulic drive operatively interposed between the. prime mover and the pump, an electrical starter operatively connected to the gasoline engine, a battery for driving said starter,

' and a timer switch means interposed between the battery and the starter for energizing the starter only at a predetermined time.

2; A power unit for well-pumps and the like, said unit comprising, in combination, an internal a. hydraulic drive the. prime mover driven pulley interposed between. the hydraulic drive and the pump. an electrical starter operatively connected to the internal combustion engine, a battery for driving said starter, and a timer switch means interposed between the battery and. the starter for energizing the starter only at a. predetermined time.

3. A. power unit for well-pumps. and the like,

- driving. said said unit comprising, in combination, a gasoline engine, a pump, a hydraulic drive operatively interposed between the prime mover and the pump, an electrical starter operatively connected to the gasoline engine, a battery for driving said starter, a magneto operatively connected to the gasoline engine, and a timer switch means interposed between the battery and the starter for energizing the starter only at a predetermined time, said timer switch means also, being operatively interposed in the circuit from the magneto for closing said circuit when the circuit to the starter is closed.

4 A power unit for we1l-pumps and the like, said unit comprising, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a pump, a hydraulic drive operatively interposed between the prime mover and the pump, a fly wheel type driven pulley interposed between the hydraulic drive and the pump, an electrical starter operatively connected to the internal. combustion engine, a battery for starter, a. magneto operatively con,- nected to the engine, and; a timer switch means interposed between the battery and the starter for energizing the starter only at a predetermined time,- said timer switch means also being operatively interposed in the circuit from the posed in the circuit from the magneto for closing said circuit when the. circuit to the starter is closed and maintaining said magneto-circuit closed for a; predetermined time interval.

6. A power unit for well-pumps and the like, said unitv comprising, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a pump, a hydraulic drive operatively interposed between the prime moves and the pump, a fiy' wheel type driven pulley u terposed between the hydraulic drive and the pump, an electrical starter operatively connected to the. internal combustion engine, a battery for driving said starter, a magneto operatively con nected to the. engine, and a timer switch means interposed between the battery and the starter for energizing the starter only at a predetermined time, said timer switcmmeans. also being operatively interposed in the circuit from. the magneto for closing said circuit when the circuit to the starter is closed and maintaining said magnetocircuit closed for a predetermined time interval.

7:. A power unit for well-pumps and the like, said unit comprising in combination a gasoline engine and pump having a drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom and being provided on its outer end with a fly-w-heel type pulley, a hydraulic coupling uni-t including a driven member and a driving member, a. drive shaft operatively projecting from said gasoline engine and being directly connected to said driving member, a quill-shaft rotatively mounted on the drive shaft and, being directly connected to the driven member; said. quill-shaft projecting externally from the hydraulic coupling unit and being provided on such external portion with a. sheave, a belt drivingly connecting the sheave and the 11 7- References Cited in the file of this patent wheel type pulley, an electrical starter operatively UNITED STATES PATENTS connected to the gasoline engine, a batter for driving said starter, a magneto operativeiy 0011- Number Name Date nected to the gasoline engine, and a timer switch 5 947,437 E1115 25, 1910 means interposed between the battery and the 1383315 7 F 6, 1914 starter for energizing the starter only at a pre- 2,092,092 smclan' et a1 Sept 1937 determined time, said timer switch means also 23401975 Morgan 8, 1944 being operatively interposed in the circuit from Carlson 1944 the magneto for closing said circuit when the 10 2,416,193 Meyers 1947 circuit to the starter is closed.

WILLIAM HUBER DYE. 

